jvsfandomcom-20200222-history
Yahz'hu
Jos'hu is a native Dantari of Dantooine and is Force Sensitive. He has lived in a constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth, being born into the same tribe and family and even self, growing up again and again but completely unaware of past life-times. Always, he is born shortly after his death, but history does not stand still. He is born into whatever current events are happening in the universe at the moment. There are those who know of this blessing and curse of his, both among the Dantari and among the Jedi, yet it has not as yet been revealed to him. He has helped to liberate Dantooine from oppressive and self-centered rulers and presences in his many lives, brought active life to the planet, which has then taken off of its own accord, occasionally relying on his wisdom or sword play. He has never exchanged his walk-on part in the war for the lead role in a cage. He is a free spirit, yet always within a community. Tending towards killing enemies with kindness, he resorts to intense, enjoyable fighting only as a final result and only then to save the lives of others. Every time he is born, his power and connection with the Source of Power has grown. If there is a pinnacle, a goal of his existence outside of his control, it is probably absolute purity and self-sacrifice. ^ =So it Begins (Again)= Dusk. From a vantage point over the tall grass, a great flickering surface, one could see what looked like an ocean. Small grasshawks launched themselves like fish leaping out of the spume, nipping at the fireflies, pocketing them, then falling back in a dry splash. Bats passed, making a guttering, sputtering sound that ended in an extinguishing swoop. The plain itself seemed to bring forth night color skeined through with red and silver. The two moons rose, opalescent goddesses tipping light from their harsh maternal scimitars. To the southwest there was a plantation of trees, carefully tended in this devastating openness. First a stand of scrub spruce, contorted by the winds in gnarled figures of split bark and hissing needles - and the pagan odor of sap. Beyond, a rise of higher hedges, then, yet higher trees. These seemed to form concentric circles, but it was hard to tell by this distance and in this fading light. Jos'hu and his friends tracked the large herd of piket across the Dantooine plains. They estimated there to be about 80 animals ahead of them, down from the 120 where the trail they were tracking came across graul tracks. Oh, but if they'd had a chance to arrive there 20 minutes earlier and seen that, let alone fight the gigantic beast! But they continued to track the speedy piket, docile until one of them is attacked or cornered; they will then turn as one in order to run down whatever predators they may face. One of the Dantari will act as bait (usually a youth coming of age), kill one of the piket, and run, leading the entire herd to the other Dantari (of the Dantari proper, not the "inferior" Kunga, Mokk, or Janta) who waited. They would attack all at once in a circle surrounding the running herd with spears and rocks, taking out the 20 or so at the outermost of the circle. The piket, not easily confused, would be unsure of what how to attack this many predators at once and would be in disarray. The hunters would enter the dangerous fray and fight at close range, with flint knives and clubs, until the entire herd is slaughtered as food for the tribe. Jos'hu, normally quite cheerful, thrilled at being able to come with some of the older boys on this particularly large hunt (piket are by far the best meat the Dantari procure), is thinking about the shaman's story of the Mystery last night. He had been saying It is both alive and a Mighty, Peaceful River. It flows as far back as one can see, as far forward as one can gaze, but standing at Its banks, one see It right there most clearly; that is as it should be. Jos'hu couldn't help but think about what it would be like to jump into the River and be carried along by it, subject to a Power so much greater than himself, his actions only that of the Mystery at the center of life to which all else was periphery. "M'BW'N!!! Stay WITH us. If you're always daydreaming, you'll walk into a river or get yourself into a creeper nest or worse." His older brother, Norr, smiles more warmly once Jos'hu was looking at him and not around at the medicinal flora. "And besides, guess who gets to be the bait today? We need you with us." "Do you mean it?!", Jos'hu asks, eyes wide, grip tightening on his hardwood spear. Norr looks at his friend Illi and smiles conspiratorially. "Of course, Jos'hu. You heard father last night; today is your coming of age." "Oh, Norr! I'm so excited. I will be the bait the bites back!" Jos'hu's eyes glint ferociously, even while he smiles as kindly as a tribal elder. Coming of Age Test Interrupted A Jedi Knight named Rohien Lindalerel landed in her star ship nearby. The hunting party scattered unseen, disappearing into grass and behind hills. Their collective presence felt no different from that of the planet. However, she could feel the Force running strong in Jos'hu and thus learned there were sentient beings in the vicinity. Likewise, it surprised them both to be so fully aware of one another, for Jos'hu was aware of her in a way he had not been with any people except the Dantari shamans. She easily found their camp, following the Force signature of Jos'hu. Humbly, she came forward to the elders, the shamans, and through the Force comprehended and spoke their language, telling them of Jos'hu's gift and her wish to train him. They already knew Jos'hu, like them, was Force sensitive, but she did not sense their Force signatures because as the Dantari age, even those sensitive to the Force will cast no "signature", no aura, that will in any way stand out from the Dantari environment. Unbeknownst to Rohien, his coming of age test had been disrupted, but the elders in their wisdom saw this as a good sign that he must become as one of them. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear," as that day was the literal case. They did not yet know her by that name, but called her “fiiti jaarnif,” Strange Medicine Woman; she was allowed to take Jos'hu to train in the Mystery, their word for the Force as it is best translated into Galactic Basic, provided they did not leave Dantooine. Jedi Padawan She took him to some ruins halfway around the world, that at one time had been an academy to train Padawans in the Way of the Force. She taught him that he could reach into this invisible Power and move things without touching them. For Jos'hu, it was like a great dance, the most choice cooperation, where he would simply ask and rocks and any other inanimate object, or even animals would comply. As she trained him, always amazed at the fast learner he was, it seemed to Jos'hu that she continually chiding him for not suppressing his natural passions. He had a vision of three kath hounds bowing before him while his people were slaughtered by a race of intergalactic beings. Released from rapture, he stood and shouted for aloud he had experienced. Others seemed to instantaneously take notice of the feral child, and a watershed moment occurred when many seemed so interested in his being taught in their own way and gathered around Rohien's ship. He turned and wandered out into the wilderness while others bickered. It was here he encountered and slayed three albino kaths, the skins of which he wears to this day. It was also at this time he met an assassin droid named Synosis, Syn for short, who befriended him and gave him hunting knives as a gift its master, the Dark Lord of the Sith Matar , who had joined the bandwagon, yet more tactfully, in noticing the promising child. Lightsaber Training and Empathy She took him through lightsaber basics and taught him Form I, Shii-Cho. Continually teaching him that he needed to set his emotions aside, he was beginning learn just how oppressively impossible this for one who is feral of heart. Emotions are part of what fed his ability to know of the Force. He was even beginning to find himself able to feel the emotions of others, turning out to be quite the empath, for his training was not in total seclusion. They would sometimes travel among the Dantari who lived far away from those among whom Jos'hu was sired. He could have used this ability to heal, but found instead he could feed off what others were feeling and to a certain degree control what others were feeling (and thus how they wanted to react). He could not do this much with his apparently emotionless Master, but she was always there to discipline him when he did it to others, adamantly scolding him since it was the path to the Dark Side. Illness and loss of his Master Rohien took him as far as the Enclave, but found she was growing weak and unable to continue Jos'hu's training. He was to be left in the care of the Jedi of the planet, Rael Starfall and Jedi Knight (at the time) Jess Holt , but he insisted Syn take him offworld, where he was left among the Emerald Order of Anobis for a time. Too Passionate Jos'hu naturally progressed into lightsaber Forms that relied heavily on feeling, and to those he was most attracted. No Jedi would teach them to him, of course, so he attempted to learn them on his own in secret. Juyo was his favorite because of its inchoately aggressive and emotional nature. He tried to be cautious, however, not to let himself slip into that Form when sparring. Someone certainly would have been very put out with him. Visions, Dreams, and Torment He was constantly being surprised by an onslaught of visions and dreams, variously about mundane things or sometimes they would culminate into one grand vision, the one revealed what he named the Great Entropy. The universe appeared to be wearing down. It drove him to despair to sence such uselessness. He found solace in putting more aggression into sparring. There was never a doubt in his mind that people must not let themselves atrophy while the universe was in entropy. He began using Juyo more openly while dueling. Some of His Subjective Takes on the Objective He tried to convince others that the Force was not there as a tool, was not to be manipulated, but was suffering strain, slowly like dripping water forming a deep cave into the rocky terrain. He insisted that everyone who can should see the Force as a caravan that passes in the night, extant of its own accord, not merely for mortal use, which both Dark and Light Jedi are guilty of. Jos'hu sees the universe wearing itself down via entropy, but does not believe that means that causing destruction or chaos, harmony with entropy, is therefore true power; instead, by living in harmony with the Force and Its will, one can live in ectropy and growth, and THAT is true power, especially when the ectropy and growth of others if one's prime concern. He disagrees with the notion that the Force is "an energy field created by all living things". He leans more towards the belief that the Force is a non-corporeal sentient entity that is capable of intelligent thought - in sharp contrast with others who simply consider It as something that may freely be manipulated and used as though It were a tool or toy and not aware of them, aware of us all. To him the Force is made manifest; he can SEE Her with his mind's eye, and She looks more like "an eternally running river" than any other description he has words for. She is Ultimate Reality. He wonders quite often if he will ever meet societies, organizations, or individuals who think as he does, who love It for Its own egoless goodness and not for what they can receive from or do with Its power. He also holds that none fully belong to the "light side". Everyone has within themselves the battle between right and wrong, acting on some of both from time to time. Only Ashla, the Force, is fully Good, fully Real. Direct experience with the Force, the Absolute, is the basis of ALL of the ways people draw conclusions about what She is like. Jos'hu wishes to draw NO conclusions, but live his life always "in search of". He wants to feel connected to everybody because he believes we all long for, and need, the same Final Answer; however, we each tend to let our understandings of our subjective experiences get in the way of good conduct to one another, and so we remain at odds throughout the whole of the material universe. Eventually all ideas about the Objective must be abandoned if the follower of the Force is to become one with It, a noumenon, any object or event as it is in itself, independent of the senses; one can make sense out of phenomena in various ways, but can never directly know the noumena, the "things-in-themselves," whether the actual objects and dynamics of the natural world or the metaphysical Being, the Force - they must be content not to know, or to not know more than they do know, and experience It only sub- or unconsciously. It is certainly a dramatic change within oneself to turn fully to this way of life, a transference borne of a "leap of faith" from disbelief to utter belief, from cold and uncaring darkness into the arms of a loving Mother, even if the inner transition from being filled with darkness to being filled by light is a slow one, as it is now and again on a case-by-case basis. Jos'hu, Exile from the Jedi He felt certain that he had been rejected by the monastic order of the Jedi, and so he let his beliefs lay on the back burner for awhile and did what he could to make a living. He became involved in crime, from piracy to mercenary work to salvaging to bounty hunting. He piled up quite a bit of treasure, making a few upgrades to his ship and keeping himself, living below his means, well-fed. He remained chaste, disciplined, and wild. =Dark Prophecy and Earning a Living= He heard the rumors that Darth Sidious, once the Emperor Palpatine, had been cloned. This was a few years after it had actually happened, but he did not know this. One of the things he did while alive, which was not long, was to reinstate his Prophets of the Dark Side. Knowing of his own propensity for visions he thought he might be an asset to them. With no lightsaber, and not yet resolved to return to Dantooine, he began a futile search for the Dark Prophets; even after he heard the Emperor was truly dead, he continued the search. Seeking the Darkness, Finding the Krath Ever his mind was on finding this deep, dark, elusive Order. Finally despairing, he learned of the Krath, Dark Jedi who believe true power does not translate into leadership or military might, because they realize that social position and strength of arms are temporal and ephemeral at best. Knowledge, in its various forms, is the true power sought by the scholarly members of the Order: knowledge of the Force, knowledge of one’s weaknesses, knowledge of rituals, alchemy, and spells. If there is knowledge worth pursuing, a Krath is certainly after it. The individual who sees and understands the invisible strings that bind and fuel the galaxy is able to control his own destiny. Knowledge grants clarity, and with that comes the possibility of change and control, true freedom. The Krath embark after knowledge not as a means towards an end, but as an end unto itself; they embark in a never-ending quest, always starving for more information and always devising new experiments to further push the limits of their wisdom. Due to these characteristics, the Krath are often seen as dark mystics, Dark Jedi of great knowledge and wisdom concerned with the more pure aspects of the Force, especially writing, dueling, and beautiful art. Swashbuckler No More Jos'hu was initiated into their Order and changed from an unruly vagrant to a disciplined young man, who found deep, true ways to both be in communion with the Living Force and pour out his heartfelt emotions until he was completely empty. He grew. He learned to master Juyo. He learned several languages and visited various worlds. He mastered various "Force powers", but mainly loved to heal those who were wounded physically or internally, and his abilities as an empath blossomed. He wept over natural beauty and became quite an artist. He raged against social injustices. His strength grew immense, near-primate that he was, yet he was on the verge of becoming like a shaman as he surely would have had he remained among the Dantari without realizing it, and was considered holy among the Krath. =Apocalypse= He set out as a wandering solitary Krath, with their blessing, to see other worlds and meet other people. He encountered Tarfang, and the nearly symbiotic cycle of robbing King Dearg on Onderon. He offered himself in service to the Phoenix Imperium and was sent to find artifacts on Korriban, where he was overwhelmed by darkness and at his weakest moment had an epiphany of light, where he knew he was to become a shaman to his people. He turned from his dark ways, broke his ties with the Krath and with Lord Matar, and was to find one named Arhiia Concordia. While on Arkadia, where she rules as Queen, he suffered along with many others a collapse within the spaceport and for the first time spent days feeding others his rations, using the Force to empathize and heal others, using his droids to dig their way to freedom, and taking no thought for himself. A series of visions led him to astrally project himself onto the Dantari surface where he visited the Enclave, saw much that was familiar, much that was new, and had a sense of himself beyond this life. He was then summoned by a powerful medicine man, Uladi of the Kunga, who hinted at Jos'hu's life beyond this one and told him a great many details regarding how he was to become a healer instead of a self-interested mercenary. =Personal (Dynamic) Philosophy= He resolved to live relying solely on the Force. The Codes state: There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. Jos'hu did not agree fully with either of these. On one hand he felt both emotion and peace; he felt ignorance and knowledge; he felt passion as well as serenity; he was as aware of death as he was of the Force. On the other hand he knew peace was no lie, though he did gain strength through passion. However, "power" and "victory" were of no interest to him. Only that the Force itself was Free, and, being personally interested in All, Ashla would break his chains and set him free. Therefore, neither the Jedi nor the Sith were fully wrong, but neither were either of them fully right. As he thought back over his life, though, there were none who truly adhered to their codes. Violence was cloaked on either side of the fence with the name of the Force as a thin veil for their true intentions. None were fully of the side of light, which boils down to generosity without favoritism, giving to those who could never give to you in return, especially to those who hate you and persecute and try to kill you. Very few believed "The best blades are kept in their sheaths." Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. And possibly, there was nobody fully wicked. People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us. It's people who claim that they're good, or in anyway better than the rest of us that you have to be wary of. A moderately bad person knows (s)he is not very good: a thoroughly bad one thinks (s)he is all right. It has been said, "The Force may have no dark or light side, but we do. We must choose." Yet were we truly free to choose once we had chosen the dark side, which ultimately boiled down to stinginess? Jos'hu did not think so; it took the power of the Force to free one from the chains of that vicious cycle. A Jedi is not a good person but someone who experiences the goodness of the Force. Basically, he concluded, there are two kinds of people in the world: those who say to the Force, "Thy will be done," and those to whom Ashla says, "All right; have it your way." The consequences of the latter were doom for the ones to whom it was said; they had resisted the Force, even through their use of it, to the point that they would never be set free and would die in their slavery to themselves and that slavery would continue to the next life or lives. Pain does not end with the death of the physical body. Jos'hu knew one thing: he was not what he ought to be. He was not what he wanted to be. He was not what he hoped to be. But still, he was not what he used to be, and by the unmerited favor of the Force, he is what he is, and continues growing, blossoming, unfolding, and living more and yet more within the Living Force. Almost the Last of His Kind The Yuuzhan Vong invaded the Galaxy when he was a quarter of a century old and that war went on for four years. Jos'hu knows they did not even spare the Dantari. He was relieved to learn that many remain alive and well. =Presently= Born in 0 ABY, he is now 32 years old. He still flies his Tartan Patrol Cruiser, which has been upgraded and repaired and named "The Wounded Healer". His crew is made up of 120 Krath War Droids and one vornskr. He has returned to Dantooine, has fasted and is becoming closer to having contact with the Jedi of the Enclave. Official Name(s): Jos'hu (yahz hoo), M'Bw'n (Mbwun) Quote: "The best blades are kept in their sheaths." Appearance About 1.62 meters if he could stand fully erect; muscular and well-built, having an extensive knowledge of the medicinal properties of (especially Dantooine's) flora and fauna. Long course black hair, bearded, slightly hunched, large brow, large jaw, broad shoulders, and a broad chest. Bright eyes and an easy smile. Sharp teeth and nails. Extremely agile, nimble, and physically strong. *Wears animal skins. Personal Bio Permanently in development, Jos'hu is in love with the Force. He sees value in many of the different "faces of the Force" he has heard about, and deeply longs to learn more about the light side, the Unifying Force (Potentium), the Living Force ("be here now"), and many other ways of understanding It. No opinion or tradition, however, is better than direct, mystical, intimate, "fully awake and alive to the Force", sensually imperceptible experience, as well as the experience of the less transcendent, more immanent ways of the Force, Ashla, reaching out through all things, especially the living. Some personal strengths Imaginative abilities, understanding a variety of people, recognizing problems even before they occur, brainstorming, getting things done even if it takes very hard work, leadership, risk taking, etc. Some personal weaknesses Feeling paralyzed by alternatives accompanied by an inability to make decisions, aiming at trivial improvements, devotion to meaningless activities, etc. Weapons *Flint knives *Spears *Staffs *DL-44 heavy blaster pistol: Capacity - 50 shots; range - 25 meters (optimum), 50 meters (maximum) *Verpine shatter gun: Projectile sniper rifle based on a magnetic coil principle. When shot, the weapon makes no sound. 8 shots can be fired before the weapon needs to be reloaded. The projectiles are nearly impossible to block with a lightsaber due to their small size and extreme speed *Verpine shatter gun: small handgun. Both verpine guns are easy to use and have excellent range and accuracy; they inflict an extremely large amount of kinetic damage *Stun baton embedded in the tip of one of his staffs: a non-lethal short-range melee weapon that immobilizes organic targets with a powerful electrical shock *Two Raven Claw Fighting Knives: Overall: 19-1/2"; Blade: 13-1/4" long, 1-1/2" wide, 3/16" thick; Wt: 1 lb. Force Powers *Force Healing (Force Assist, Cure Poison, Cure Disease, Force Purification, Revitalize, Art of the Small) *Force Cloak *Animal Friendship *Beast Language *Force Weapon *Life Sense *Force Light *Meditation of Emptiness *Plant Surge *Protection Bubble *Thought Shield *Force Forms (Force Potency, Force Affinity) Spaceship/Fleet Tartan-class Patrol Cruiser: "The Wounded Healer" Length: 600 meters Hyperdrive rating: 2.0 Armament: Laser cannons (40 - Upgraded) Cargo capacity: 500 tons Consumables: 1 year Roles: Anti-starfighter corvette; patrolling Crew: 70 Passengers: 50 *Powerful sensor and computer systems enable its guns to engage rapidly with swarms of small, swift targets. *Powerful engines give this ship the speed and maneuverability to engage directly with starfighters, and the systems that channel power from the generators to systems throughout the hull are also versatile and sophisticated, being able to redirect energy from the deflector shields to give more firepower to the weapons systems. However, they are more or less useless against larger capital ships unless in large numbers. Ground Forces *120 Krath War Droids Class: Battle droid Height: 1.8 meters Armament: Pulse-wave firing assembly (a bow-shaped weapon designed to rapidly fire concentrated bursts of plasma, generally used to take out groups of fast-moving targets. The plasma appears as small orbs of blue or purple light that inflict much pain on its victim); melee combat short swords *Eudaimonia, his vornskr friend Accomplishments/Goals *To sit on the banks of the river of the Force and watch It be Its own lovely, powerful, flowing self; everyone else would do well to do the same. *Mastering Form VII, containing intrepid, somewhat direct movements used in combination with advanced techniques involving Force-powered jumps and very fast motions. It is a very unpredictable fighting/lightsaber/life style. The staccato swings and flow of the form makes it seem as if the attacks are not linked, but in reality it is merely confusing for the opponent. It helps him overcome his weakness of his natural ferocity and allowing him to feed even off of the darkness of others. *Mastering Form III, because Form VII has little by way of defense, especially against Force powers. *Mastering Form "Zero", wherein (potential) conflicts are resolved without a weapon, or perhaps the battle is fought through the Force alone. *To use his relationship with the Force for the good of others, so as to have no self-interest. *To master Jar'Kai/Niman, should battle become a necessity. *To become a Jedi and a shaman of the Dantari; to follow the path of a Consular (a Seer and Master Sage); a contemplative of the mysteries of the Force; a Force Healer; a scholar and researcher; a diplomat; and a wise instructor, knowing right from wrong and sticking to it, passing it on to others who were willing to learn. *To collect from medical companies, and whatever planets he must visit, every medical tech, tool, drugs and medicines, and Force powers that focused on healing and defense of others. He would love to eventually have his own medical company and facilities. Category:Characters